The present invention relates generally to the field of safety and protection of systems and devices by arc suppression using a solid state switch, and more particularly to a current interrupter for microwave tube transmitters which opens the cathode circuit in the event of tube arcing, using a current sensitive control circuit. It is an improvement over the load shunting crow bar spark gap method used to discharge the stored charge in the transmitter power supply, and is in fact an anti crow bar current interrupter.
U.S. patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,713, to Kalish, which teaches a regulated power supply across the anode and cathode of a TWT. U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,837 to Matsuura teaches a current limiting MOSFET transistor and reference voltage generator in the high-voltage path of an oscillator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,015 to Davis et al teaches a crow-bar circuit used to short to ground the overload current flowing in a microprocessor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,970 to Musslyn et al teaches a cathode current control circuit, a pulse level control amplifier and a cathode current transformer in series with a TWT amplifier. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,893,070 and 4,897,617 to Milberger et al show a Milberger Connection in a Domino Effect Shunt Voltage Regulator and a Domino Effect Amplifier.